Thin-film solar cells can be fashioned into roof-top tiles or shingles. (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
Engineers at Oregon State University in Corvallis have devised a method of producing a type of solar cell using ink-jet technology. The process, for which a patent has been applied, is described in an upcoming issue of the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (paid subscription required).
The OSU team led by engineering professor Chih-hung Chang developed this technology to produce solar cells made with chalcopyrite, a material composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. Solar cells made in a thickness of one or two microns of chalcopyrite have the ability to capture the energy from photons about as efficiently as a 50-micron layer made with traditional silicon (1 micron equals 1 millionth of a meter).
Chang points out that one advantage of this approach is a sharp reduction in wasted material. Instead of depositing chemical compounds on a substrate with more expensive vapor phase deposition, where most of the material is wasted, ink-jet technology can create precise patterns with low waste. The prices of all of these metals have increased since the start of 2011.
The one drawback with the approach is the lower efficiency of converting solar energy to electricity. The researchers were able to create an ink that could print chalcopyrite using ink-jet onto substrates, with a power conversion efficiency of about 5 percent. Chang’s team says that as their research develops, they should be able to achieve an efficiency of about 12 percent, which would make a commercially viable solar cell.
A related project at OSU involves applying ink-jet technology to solar cells using less expensive materials. One benefit of the ink-jet technology is its ability to apply active materials directly on building materials, such as roof tiles or shingles, which will make it possible to better integrate solar energy into existing construction methods.
Read more: Engineers Develop Efficient Nanotech Solar Energy Film
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Solar panels are one of the useful facilities now in every household. Homemade electricity is now available with the use of this equipment. We are so lucky that we do have it in our time.